Display tube having an encapsulated diode switching matrix



April 18, 1967 R. E.BENN ETAL 3,315,248

DISPLAY TUBE HAVING AN ENCAPSULATED DIODE SWITCH ING MATRIX Filed Dec. 9, 1963 6 sheets sheet l O O O O O 0 00000 000 OOOO E 1333 27 n" ""Lii @8388 W I 9- i f? 1 4' I NVENTORS ROBERT E BENN FREDERICK F. OHNTRUP April 18, 1967 R. E. BENN ETAL 3,315,248

DISPLAY TUBE HAVING AN ENCAPSULATED DIODE SWITCHING MATRIX Filed Dec. 9, 1963 6 heets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR,

ROBERT E. BENN FREDERICK F. OHNTRUP ATTORNEY April 18, 1967 R. E. BENN ETAL 3,315,248

DISPLAY TUBE HAVING AN ENCAPSULATED DIODE SWITCHING MATRI X Filed Dec. 9, 1963 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 T F i E! F'El \25 E F m i? a INVENTORS ROBERT E. BENN BY FREDERICK E OHNTRUP ATTORNEY Apr 1967 R. E, BENN ETAL DISPLAY TUBE HAVING AN ENCAPSULATED DIODE SWITCHING MATRIX Filed Dec.

6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS. ROBERT E. BENN BY FREDERICK F. OHNTRUP Mai/4 ATTORNEY April 18, 1967- Filed Dec. 9, 1965 R. E. BENN ETAL I DISPLAY TUBE HAVING AN ENCAPSULATED DIODE SWITCHING MATRIX 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS.

ROBERT E. BENN FREDERICK F. OHNTRUP Maia.

ATTORN A ril 18, 1967 Filed Dec. 9, 1963 R. E. BENN ETAL DISPLAY TUBE HAVING AN ENCAPSULATED DIODE SWITCHING MATRIX 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTORS. ROBERT E. BENN FREDERICK EOHNTRUP Md M ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 3,315,248 Patented Apr. 18, 1967 DISPLAY TUBE HAVING AN ENCAPSULATED DIODE SWITCHING MATRIX Robert E. Benn, Broomall, and Frederick F. Ohntrup,

Plymouth Meeting, Pa., assiguors to Burroughs Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Dec. 9, 1963, Ser. No. 329,198

14 Claims. (Cl. 340-324) This invention relates to switching circuits and more particularly to miniaturized switching circuits.

This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 10,940, now Patent No. 3,122,680 filed Feb. 25, 1960.

Miniaturized electronic elements, units and assemblies have found widespread application in electronic equipment, especially where such equipment has had to meet stringent design tolerances aimed at an economy of space and weight. For instance, in the design of electronic equipment to be used in aircraft, it is usually requisite that great consideration be given to minimizing the space and weight for such equipment.

One electronic innovation, which has greatly aided the efforts to save space and weight, has been the introduction of diode matrices to replace banks of relays or other signal switching arrangements. In the art at present a diode matrix customarily comprises a base member with rows of pairs of electrical terminals thereon, and further includes diodes selectively connected between associated pairs of these terminals. Each electrical terminal of a pair is respectively common connected with other like electrical terminals to provide the normal row and column conductors needed for input and output signal connections. By Way of example, a typical diode matrix of the type just described, designed to handle sixteen input signals and provide thirty-two output signals, is mounted on a base member measuring 6 x 9 /2 inches, and the entire assembly weighs approximately 150 grams. When compared with the banks of relays which would be needed to perform the same signal switching operation which such a diode matrix can accomplish, this matrix represents a substantial saving in space and weight.

The present invention provides an even greater reduction of space and weight for switching circuits, and more particularly for a diode matrix.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved miniaturized signal switching circuit.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved miniaturized signal switching circuit and display means therefor.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a diode matrix switching circuit whose weight is less than 1/ 10th of the weight of a prior art diodematrix and Whose size when compared to the prior art represents a reduction by more than 400 times.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel method for building a miniaturized diode matrix of the type described in the preceding object.

In accordance with a feature of the present invention there is provided a first unit to be assembled which has input and output circuits printed thereon. This first unit (hereinafter sometimes called Unit 1) provides the vertical electrical conducting paths and provides input signal connections for horizontal electrical conducting paths.

In accordance with another feature of the present invention there is provided a second unit to be assembled (hereinafter sometimes called Unit II) which includes a plurality of strips of semiconducting material, a first portion of which is donor-type (or N-type) semiconducting material and the remainder of which is acceptor-type (or P-type) semiconducting material. Each of these strips is formed such that mesas, or flat-topped mounds of semiconducting material having individual P N (or N-P) junctions are available. If the mesas are formed with the acceptor-type material at the flat-topped end, then the donor-type material forms a bar which is common connected to each of the mesas, and when the mesas are formed with the donor-type material at the flat-topped end, the arrangement is vice-versa. These strips are positioned horizontally in registration with respect to the vertical electrical conducting paths of Unit I, such that each junction mesa on a strip engages a different one of the vertical electrical conducting paths and the ends of the strips respectively engage an assigned input signal connection for the horizontal conducting paths described above. When thus positioned together, these strips form a second unit to be assembled and provide horizontal electrical conducting paths as well as diode elements connected to the vertical conducting paths.

In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the novel steps for building the miniaturized diode matrix comprise 1) fabricating a wafer of semiconducting material into a large area PN junction device; (2) (preferably) coating the wafer surface with relatively highly conductive material, thereby providing a bonding medium to subsequently effect a bond; (3) cutting away portions of the P-type material and the joined N-type material to a depth below the P-N junction, as well as the immediately adjacent conductive coating, leaving flattopped mounds or junction mesas, each junction mesa having an individual P-N junction and a conductive coating on its end and further leaving wafer end portions of the P-type material; (4) printing vertical conducting paths and connecting means for horizontal conducting paths on a suitable 'base of Unit I; (5) overlaying the wafer so that the junction mesas engage the vertical printed conducting paths and the wafer end portions engage the connecting means for the horizontal conducting paths; (6) bonding said wafer to said printed circuits; (7) slicing the wafer horizontally to provide horizontal strips, each of which has one or more junction mesas with their respective individual P-N junctions and a common bar of N-type material to complete Unit II; and (8) encapsulating both units to reduce atmospheric effect thereon. The term printed circuit as used in the art includes etched, milled or routed, and similar conductorpatterns.

A visual display device is also coupled to Units I and II to provide a visual representation of the operation thereof.

The foregoing and other objects and features of this invention will be best understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: a FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a semiconductor wafer with mesas formed therefrom;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the wafer shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cut-away pictorial representation of the wafer shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic of the printed circuit of Unit I with one strip of Unit H shown in phantom overlaying the circuits of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 represents a second embodiment of complete diode matrix;

FIG. 7 is a plan view with portions cut away of a modification of the device of FIG. 4;

, FIG. 8 is a section taken along lines 88 of the FIG. 7 embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a schematic presentation of an indicator suitable for converting binary input codes to a decimal presentation; and

2 between P-type elements; etc.

FIG. shows a modified tube construction viewed as a section along lines 10-10 of FIG. 9 and illustrating pins in line for ease of understanding.

In general, the present invention provides a diode matrix which is principally formed by two units assembled together. The first unit has individual printed circuits which serve as the vertical conductors normally found in a diode matrix. The second unit has a plurality of P-N junction semiconductor strips which have had portions of the P-type material and adjacent N-type material cut away to a depth below the P-N junction, leaving flattopped mounds, descriptively referred to through the specification and the claims as junction mesas. Although the mesas could be cut entirely (or only) from P-type material, it has been found that, if the P-N junctions are formed in each individual mesa, there results: a reduction in cross talk; an elimination in spurious transistor action Each junction mesa provides a P-N junction diode so that each strip further provides a number of diodes having individual P portions and a common N portion. These strips are mounted horizontally across the printed circuits, with each mesa of a strip bonded to, or engaged with, a different vertical printed circuit. The strips serve as the horizontal conductors normally found in such a matrix. Accordingly, there is provided a miniaturized diode matrix which, for instance, in an embodiment to be described below, provided 148 selectively positioned diodes in a space x inches, and weighing less than grams.

Consider FIGS. 1 and 2, of which the former is a top plan view of a wafer 11 of semiconducting material. The wafer 11 shown in FIG. 1 has been machined to form junction mesas 13, each having an individual P-N junction. In a preferred embodiment, the wafer 11 was formed by initially having N-type silicon material whose upper half (i.e., the half lying toward the upper surface 12) has diffused therein P-type impurities and whose lower half (lying toward the lower surface 14) has diffused therein N-type impurities. In this preferred embodiment, the diffusion of the impurities is accomplished by first depositing P-type impurities such as boron on the upper surface of the wafer and/ or depositing N-type impurities such as phosphorus pentoxide on the lower surface of the wafer. It should be understood that many other suitable P-type and N-type impurities are known in the art and may be used. The impurities are deposited on these surfaces by a gaseous deposition technique. Thereafter, the wafer 11, with the P-type impurities depositedon its upper surface and/or the N-type impurities deposited on its lower surface, is subjected to heat at approximately 1300 degrees centigrade to diffuse the impurities into the wafer and form N-P junction material. The depth of the junction is dependent upon the amount of heat to which the wafer is subjected. In effect, then, there results a wafer-sized device with a P-N junction of relatively large area. While in a preferred embodiment, the material is initially N-type silicon, it is to be understood that any semiconducting material such as germanium could be used and, further, that the initial state of the material might be P-type semiconducting material.

After the wafer-sized P-N junction semiconductor has been produced, the wafer 11 is coated with a silver conducting paint 29 (FIG. 2) as will be more fully described hereinafter. It is to be understood that the inventive circuit is operative without the addition of the silver paint (which merely serves as a convenient bonding medium) and would be operative with another type of conductive coating to serve as a bonding medium. The wafer 11 is then machined ultrasonically to selectively remove portions of the P-type material and the integral or adjacent N-type material to a depth below the P-N junction depicted as dashed line 18. The ultrasonic machining operation can be accomplished by means of a Shefiield Ultrasonic Cavitron, manufactured by The Sheffield Corp., Dayton, Ohio, or some other suitable ultrasonic machine tool device. After cutting away certain portions. of the P-type and N-type materials there remains standing flattopped mounds, or junction mesas 13, each of which has an end coating of silver paint 29. In addition to the junction mesas which remain, the wafer end portions 16 are likewise left standing. As will become apparent hereinafter, the end portions 16 serve as input signal connecting means.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view cut along the line 22 of FIG. 1 showing the junction mesa protrusions 13 which form the bottom row 15 (FIG. 1). Although the lines of mesas in FIG. 1 lie along column positions, they will be referred to as rows since they assume row positions in most of the figures. It can be clearly seen from FIG. 2 how the junction mesas 13 (having individual P-N junctions at level 18) provide a plurality of P-N junction diodes having individual P portions and a common N-type material portion, or bar 17. The junction mesas 13 along row 15 are. selectively disposed so that when the mesas engage the printed circuits of Unit I, to be described here inafter, the diodes can be operated to energize a display means to effect a visual representation such as the nurneral SIX.

Consider now FIG. 4 which represents Unit I. Printed circuit means are shown which are arranged to be used with the display means 19. The vertical conducting paths 21 and the connectors 23 for the horizontal paths are printed with preparations which, by suitable treatment such as heating, produce continuous deposits of conducting material, such as silver, palladium, etc. on some suitable base 25 such as porcelain. A screen printing technique is employed according to a preferred method, but other well-known methods of printing circuits may be used. After the printed circuits have been placed on the base 25, the assembly is fired or cured to bond the printed circuits to the base 25.

The wafer 11, whose fabrication has been described above, is then mounted over the vertical conducting paths 21 of Unit I. The rows of junction mesas 13 on the wafer 11, such as row 15, are positioned to run horizontally across the vertical conducting paths 21. A marker 27 which is a circle with an X therein is shown in both FIGS. 1 and 4. If the wafer 11 of FIG. 1 is positioned with the junction mesas 13 coming in contact with the vertical conducting paths 21 so that the markers 27 of FIGS. 1 and'4 engage each other, then the row15 of FIG. 1 will lie in the position shown in phantom between the dotted lines 15a in FIG. 4. The mesas 13 in FIG. 4 are shown lying in registration and selective positions with respect to certain of the vertical conducting paths 21.

After the wafer 11 is positioned in registration with the vertical conducting paths 21 of Unit I, the assembly is fired or cured to bondthe junction mesas 13 and the end portions 16 of wafer 11 respectively to the vertical conducting paths 21 and the horizontal connectors 23. In other words, the silver coating 29 described earlier and depicted in FIG. 2, is fused with the conducting material of which the printed circuits 21 and 23 are composed. The junction mesas 13 are each bonded to an associated vertical conducting path 21. A single strip, such as strip 15a, will have each mesa bonded to a different vertical path although there may be many mesas from different strips bonded to the same vertical path. Mesas which are bonded to the same vertical path will have their common portions electrically isolated from each other when the wafer is sliced, which operation will be described presently.

'With the wafer .11 bonded to the printed circuits, such that the surface -14 of FIG. 2 faces outwardly, the assembly is then again subjected to an ultrasonic machining operation. As was previously suggested, the ultrasonic machining operation can be accomplished with a Sheffiield Ultrasonic Cavitron, or some other suitable device. In this second machining operation, the wafer 11 is sliced between the rows of junction mesas 13, as shown in FIG. 3, to form strips of semiconducting ma terial such as strip 15a. These strips are electrically isolated from each other and serve to provide the horizontal electrical conducting paths for the matrix, as well as for a plurality of P-N junction diodes. A strip 15a is shown positioned in FIG. 4. The strip 15a, which bears the mesas of row 15 (FIG. 1), is positioned to engage the vertical conducting paths 21 (FIG. 4) of Unit I so that an input signal to terminal 31 representing the numeral SIX will in fact energize the proper display elements 19 to represent the numeral SIX.

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view of FIG. 4 cut along the line 55 thereof showing the strip 15a overlaying the base 25 and engaging certain of the printed circuits 21 and 23. The junction mesas 13, which have the individual P-N junctions are shown having an integral common N-type portion 17. Each of the diodes is selectively engaged with a different one of the printed circuits 23, as is evident in FIG. 5. This selective engagement enables a signal applied to the terminal 311 of FIG. 4 to provide a visual display of the numeral SIX, as discussed earlier. The strip 15a is bonded to the printed circuits 2 1 and 23 by means of the bonding medium 29. The dashed line 1 8 indicates the relative position of the P-N junction level. It should be understood that the height of the mesas and the position of the P-N junction level are not drawn to scale but merely as illustrative.

If the vertical conducting paths 21 which are engaged by the diodes of strip 15:: (FIG. 4) are traced to their respective terminating points, in the display device (19, it will be found that the elements of the display device 19 which have the black circular dots therein will be the respective terminating points of the paths traced. The black circular dots present a visual representation of the numeral SIX. The black circles can be cathode elements of a device which has a common anode connected to point 32 and which is enclosed in neon gas, thereby providing an illuminated vertical display of the numeral SIX.

If the second row 33 0f junction mesas 1 3 (FIG. 1) were engaged with the vertical conducting paths 21 (FIG. 4), there would be a further connection to the input terminal 35 representing the numeral SEVEN. If these lastmentioned paths were traced as described above, the numeral SEVEN would be visually represented at the terminating elements of the display means :19.

The present inventive diode matrix has been described in connection with a visual display device for purposes of illustration. This inventive diode matrix has great utility with signal switching arrangements, for instance, code converters and the like. The diode matrix itself requires only the space enclosed by the dot-dash line 37 of FIG. 4 which, as stated earlier, in a preferred embodiment, is a space of x inches. The miniaturization of thisdiode matrix is made possible principally by fabricating a pul-rality of strips of P-N material in the novel manner described and further, forming a plurality of diodes having individual P-type material portions and a common N-type material portion in the novel manner described earlier.

In a preferred embodiment, the entire assembly (the printed circuits with the strips bonded thereto) is potted or encapsulated in suitable material such as glass, epoxy resin, etc., to protect the elements from atmospheric effects. The molten encapsulating compound during the encapsulation finds its way between the layers and strips to -fill the voids, for instance, between the mesas.

FIG. 6 is another embodiment of the present invention. The display means, such as means '19 of FIG. 4,

are not shown in FIG. 6 but may be identical to means -19, and would be connected to the upper ends of the vertical printed circuit paths 41. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the printed circuits on the base unit are shaped to provide horizontal circuit paths 43. The

circuit paths 411 and 43 are printed initially on some suitable base. Thereafter strips of semiconducting material with junction mesas formed therefrom (thereby providing a plurality of diodes), as described above, are positioned in vertical columns across the horizontal circuits 43, as shown by the white circular dots 13a. The junction mesas are bonded to the horizontal printed circuits 43 as described earlier, in connection with FIGS. 4 and 5. Second printed circuit means providing vertical circuits 45 with input signal means included are then individually positioned over the semiconducting strips and bonded thereto to provide the vertical conductors and input signal means necessary to complete the diode matrix. It the input terminals of FIG. 6 are traced out and a display means similar to display means I19 (but inverted) is considered connected to paths 41, it will be found that the proper output lines 41 are responsive to represent the numerals shown at the input signal terminals. Obviously, there are other ways of fabricating the unit with different combinations of printed circuits and diode over lays, which fabrication and resultant diode matrices are Within the scope of the invention herein described -It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the devices shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 might be enclosed in a common glass envelope. In such a construction, the terminals 31, 3-5, etc. might be conductive pins extending through the envelope where they would be accessible to suitable signal sources. In addition, where the display elements '19 are cathode glow elements, the envelope would be filled with an ionizable gas such as neon or the like. Since neon is an inert gas, it would provide a favorable atmosphere for the diode matrix, or, if desired, the diode matrix could be encased in a protective medium such as glass or the like (not shown).

One suitable arrangement for enclosing the device of FIG. 4 in a glass envelope is shown in FIG. 7. The portion of the device shown in FIG. 5 is employed for this purpose. The construction of -FIG. 7 includes a glass envelope 60 having a stem 64 which carries a plurality of conductive pins 68 which are accessible both outside and inside the envelope. The diode strips of the matrix, such as strip 15a, are supported on an insulating plate '66 which in turn may 'be firmly held in place by pins 68. Each diode strip is electrically connected through its conductive silver paint 29 and a lead 67 to a respective tube pin 68. Each conductive strip 21 on insulating circuit board 25 is connected to a pin, rivet, or plated-through element or the like 70 which extends through the board and makes contact with one of the display elements or cathodes 19. Each strip, such as 15a, is connected through its own group of conductors 21 and pins 70 to a particular group of display elements 19, such as the group forming the outline of the symbol SIX shown in FIG. 7.

As is well known in this type of gaseous indicator tube, an anode, which may include a screen 71 positioned between the display elements 19 and the viewing window of the envelope 60, is likewise connected electrically through a lead 72 to an anode tube pin 68. The sectional elevational view of FIG. 8 clearly illustrates the manner of connecting the strip of FIG. 5 into the tube envelope. It is also clear that the operation of the device of FIGS. 7 and 8 is identical to that described above with respect to FIG. 4.

The invention may also be modified in the manner shown in FIG. 10 to utilize a visual 'display device such as a Type 6844A indicator gas tube. This type of tube 73 comprises a gas-filled envelope 74 which includes an anode out (not shown) connected to an anode screen 75 and a stack of glow cathodes 78 in the shape of characters mounted in the cup. Each cathode may be in the shape of a number, a letter, a symbol, or the like. With such a display device, it is customary to include NPN transistors between the diode matrix and the cathode characters. Any known technique for constnucting transistors to provide emitter, base and collector electrodes may be utilized. Emitter and collector terminals 80, 81, respectively, and a P type base 84 comprise a transistor 90, and one such transistor is provided for each cathode character in the tube. All of the transistors may be mounted on a common insulating \board 97. The diode matrix and the strip of transistors may be constructed in forms such as taught in an application of Frederick P. Ohntrup, Serial No. 189,752, filed April 24, 1962, and assigned to a common assignee. In this particular construction, the individual diode elements appear in a conductor grid matrix at the appropriate code converting locations. This alternative diode matrix construction may, likewise be included in the tube structure of FIG. 7 in place of the diode strips. The transistor strip made in this fashion may be encapsulated if desired.

In one arrangement as shown in FIG. 10, only a portion of a typical device using a Type 6844A tube is shown. The tube includes a stem 94 and pins 98, and the diode matrix 37' as viewed from the left of the first column of diodes 99 of the schematic presentation of FIG. 9. An insulating support plate 97 is mounted in the tube on the tube pins 98. Plate 97 in turn supports row conductors 103 which are electrically connected to individual tube pins 98. Column conductors 104 of the diode matrix are connected to individual base electrodes 84 of a strip of transistors 90 and also through individual bias resistors 106 to a base voltage supply pin 98. The strip of transistors have their emitter electrodes 80 connected in common and to a common pin 98. The collector electrodes 81 of the NPN transistors each are connected to individual cathode characters 78 and through stabilizing resistors 107, if desired, to the positive voltage supply externally connectilble to anode pin 98 of the tube.

As shown in the FIG. 9 schematic presentation of the tube of FIG. 10, the base of each transistor is connected to a column conductor 104 and receives through resistors 106 the bias voltage resulting from the positive base voltage supply connected to pin 98 designated B. The row wires 103 :are connected to the binary coded input voltages applied to input and complement pins 98. The diode positioning within the grid matrix is such as to enable the base electrode of one transistor only to receive an appropriate gated positive voltage with respect to the emitter reference potential applied to pin 98 designated C. With this construction, the binary coded signals and complements when applied permit the transistor connected to the single decimal equivalent cathode character 78 to give a visual decimal representation of the binary in ut.

It is clear that the elements of FIGS. 7-10 are shown in somewhat schematic form and not necessarily to scale in order.to emphasize a ready understanding of the invention. The invention is not limited to the particular code conversion scheme described and other diode decode arrangements would, of course, be provided when converting from modified binary to decimal or binary to biquinary, for example.

While we have described above the principles of our invention in connection with specific apparatus, it 1s to be clearly understood by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of our invention as set forth in the objects thereof and in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A character display tube comprising in combination: an envelope containing an ionizable gas capable of sustaining cathode glow; a plurality of tube pins sealed n said envelope and accessible both inside and outside said envelope; first means having a plurality of separate input signal and separate output signal electrical conducting paths, each of said conducting paths electrically isolated from each other; second means having a plurality of strips of semiconducting material each of which strips has a first portion of first type semiconducting material and a second portion of second type semiconducting material, said first type semiconducting material co-acting that this description is made only with said second type semiconducting material across the junction thereof to provide unidirectional current conducting means; each of said strips being formed so that its said first portion provides a bar of first type semiconducting material and its second portion provides one or more junction mesas primarily of second type semiconducting material, said mesas being common connected to said bar and selectively disposed relative to said liar, each bar having a unique arrangement of its mesas; said second means engaging in registration said first means such that both (1) each junction mesa of a strip is electrically connected to a different associated one of said output signal electrical conducting paths to form a matrix of unidirectional current conducting devices and (2) each of said bars is electrically connected to a different associated input signal electrical conducting path, each input signal path being connected to a separate one of said tube pins; an anode electrode mounted within said envelope; and a plurality of glow cathode display elements disposed in a selected arrangement in operative relation with said anode, each of said display elements capable of exhibiting cathode glow and being made visible and each connected to a different one of said output signal electrical conducting paths thereby enabling certain of said elements, forming an information pattern, to be rendered visible in response to an information sig nal being applied to any one of said input signal electrical conducting paths.

2. A character display tu be comprising in combination: an envelope containing an ionizable gas capable of sustaining cathode glow; a plurality of tube pins sealed in said envelope and accessible both inside and outside said envelope; first means having a plurality of separate input signal and separate output signal electrical conducting paths, each of said conducting paths electrically isolated from each other; second means having a plurality of strips of semiconducting material each of which strips has a first portion of first type semiconducting material and a second portion of second type semiconducting material, said first type semiconducting material co-acting with said second type semiconducting material to provide diode means; each of said strips being formed so that there is provided one or more diodes, each diode having an individual first type semiconducting material portion while having with respect to evary other diode on its strip an integral common second type semiconducting material portion, said diodes being selectively disposed relative to said common portion, each strip having a unique arrangement of its diodes; said second means engaging in registration said first means, such that both (1) each diode of a strip is electrically connected to a different associated one of said output signal electrical conducting paths to form a diode matrix and (2) each of said common connected portions is electrically connected to a different associated input signal conducting path, each input signal path being connected to a separate one of said tube pins; an anode electrode mounted within said envelope; and a plurality of glow cathode display elements disposed in a selected arrangement in operative relation with said anode, each of said display elements capable of exhibiting cathode glow and being made visible and each connected to a different one of said output signal electrical conducting paths thereby enabling certain of said display elements to be rendered visible, forming an information pattern, in response to an information signal being applied to any one of said tube pins and its input signal electrical conducting path. 7

3. An information presentation tube comprising, in combination, an envelope containing an ionizable gas capable of sustaining cathode glow, a plurality of tube pins sealed in said envelope and accessible both inside and outside said envelope, a base member of electrically insulating material having on a surface thereof a plurality of generally parallelly extending electrically conducting paths, each of said conducting paths being electrically insulated from one another, a wafer-like member composed of a plurality of strips of semiconducting material compactly assembled in parallel but electrically insulated relationship to one another, said strips having one or more protrusions of semiconducting material projecting from the same side thereof and forming separate unidirectional current conducting diodes, each'strip having its diodes uniquely arranged, said diodes being integrally connected to their respective strips and disposed thereon in differently spaced relationship, said wafer-like member overlying a portion of the base member with the strips of semiconducting material extending crosswise to the conducting paths such that each diode of a strip is electrically connected to a different associated one of the conducting paths, input means connected to a separate one of said tube pins, individual to each strip and responsive to signal received thereby for delivering current to its strip for flow through the diodes thereof to their associated conducting paths, an anode electrode mounted within said envelope, and information presentation means comprising glow cathodes mounted in operative relation with said anode mounted on another portion of the base member and electrically connected to said conducting paths for exhibiting cathode glow and providing a readable presentation of the information represented by the signals received by said input means.

4. An information presentation tube comprising, in combination, an envelope containing an ionizable gas capable of sustaining cathode glow, a plurality of tube pins sealed in said envelope and accessible both inside and outside said envelope, a base member of insulating material mounted inside said envelope and having on a surface thereof a plurality of conductive paths, a waferl-ike member mounted inside said envelope and composed of a plurality of strips of semiconducting material compactly assembled in parallel but electrically insulated relationship to one another, said strips having one or more protrusions of semiconducting material projecting from the same side thereof and forming separate unidirectional current conducting diodes, each strip having its diodes uniquely arranged, said wafer-like member overlying a portion of the base member and having each diode of a strip electrically connected to a different one of the conducting paths, input means individual to each strip and responsive to signals received thereby for delivering current to its strip for flow through the diodes thereof to their associated conducting paths, each input means being connected to a separate one of said tube pins, an anode electrode mounted within said envelope, and information presentation means comprising glow cathodes supported on a portion of the base member in operative relation with said anode and electrically connected to said conducting paths for exhibiting cathode glow and providing a readable presentation of the information represented by the signals received by said input means.

5. An information presentation tube comprising, in combination, an envelope containing an ionizable gas capable of sustaining cathode glow, a plurality of tube pins sealed in said envelope and accessible both inside and outside said envelope, a base member of electrically insulating material inside said envelope and having on a surface thereof a plurality of conducting paths, a plurality of strips of semiconducting diodes arrayed across said paths and in electrical contact with a group of said conducting paths, each group of diodes being uniquely spaced and electrically connected to a different group of conductive paths, separate input means coupled to each strip and responsive to signals received thereby for delivering current to its strip for flow through the diodes thereof to their associated conducting paths, each input means being connected to a separate one of said tube pins, an anode electrode mounted within said envelope, and information presentation means comprising glow cathodes mounted in operative relation with said anode and electrically connected to said conducting paths for exhibiting cathode glow and providing a readable presentation of the information represented by the signals received by said input means.

6. An information presentation tube comprising, in combination, an envelope containing an ionizable gas capable of sustaining cathode glow, a plurality of tube pins sealed in said envelope and accessible both inside and outside said envelope, a base member of electrically insulating material mounted inside said envelope and having on a surface thereof a plurality of electrically conducting output paths, each of said output paths being electrically insulated from one another, one or more bodies of semiconducting material, each of said bodies having one or more protrusions of semiconducting material projecting therefrom and forming separate unidirectional current conducting diodes, said diodes being integrally connected to their respective bodies and selectively disposed thereon, each body having its diodes uniquely disposed, means mounting said one or more bodies in overlying relation to a portion of the base member and over the output paths such that each diode of a body is electrically connected to a different associated one of the output paths, an electrical input path individual to each of said one or more bodies and connected to a separate one of said tube pins and operable upon receipt of a signal to deliver current to its respective body for flow through the diodes thereof to their associated output paths, an anode electrode mounted within said envelope, and information presentation means comprising .glow cathodes mounted on another portion of the base member in operative relation with said anode and electrically connected to said output paths, said presentation means responding to current flow in the output paths for exhibiting cathode glow and providing a detectable presentation of information represented by the signals received by said input paths.

7. An information presentation device comprising, in combination, I

a base member of electrically insulating material having on a surface thereof a plurality of electrically conducting paths,

said conducting paths being electrically insulated from one another,

a plurality of rows of diodes, each .rowlhaving a common conductor, the rows being arrayed across said conducting paths,

the diodes of each row being electrically connected to different ones of said conducting paths, with each conducting path comprising the output for the diodes to which it is connected,

signal input means conductively connected to each row of diodes,

the positioning of the diodes with respect to said conducting paths being such that, when a group of signals is applied by said signal input means to said rows of diodes, only one conducting path receives a signal useful for purposes of information presentation,

transistors having input and output means,

each conducting path being connected to the input of an individual transistor,

a plurality of information presentation means supported by the base member and electrically connected to the outputs of said transistors,

and an envelope enclosing said base member, said rows of diodes, said transistors and said information presentation means,

said envelope including conductive pins coupled to said signal input means for applying input signals selectively to said rows of diodes to thereby cause a visible energization of one of said plurality of information presentation means.

8. An information presentation device comprising, in

combination,

a base member of electrically insulating material havingmounted thereon a plurality of row conductors, individual diode elements arranged on said row conductors and uniquely spaced to form a rectangular matrix of diodes, v

a plurality of column conductors making electrical contact with the diodes along the individual columns, separate input means connected to each row conductor of the matrix, a plurality of semiconductor switches, each having input and output electrodes, the input electrode of each switch being connected to a different column conductor so that it can be switched by a signal appearin'g thereon, information presentation elements electrically coupled each to the output electrode of one of said semiconductor switches, each presentation element being adapted to be energized by its switch for providing a readable presentation of the information represented by signals received by said separate'input means, i

an envelope enclosing said base member, said rectangular matrix of diode elements and said information presentation elements,

said envelope including a plurality of conductive pins,

one each being connected to the separate input means of the matrix,

and an anode means for said information presentation elements connected to another conductive pin.

9. An information presentation device as defined in claim 8, wherein said information presentation elements includes a plurality of symbol shaped cathode glow electrodes arranged to glow singly when a plurality of row conductors are simultaneously energized in accordance with a coded input of voltages applied to respective groups of said conductive pins 10. An information presentation device as defined in claim 9, wherein said semiconductor switches comprise individual transistors which are mounted within said envelope and have their base electrodes connected to said column conductors and their collector electrodes to individual ones of said cathode glow electrodes so that only one transistor becomes biased into conduction at a time in response to said coded input of voltages.

11. An information presentation device as defined in claim 10, wlherein bias resistors are supported by said base member and have one end connected in common to another of said conductive pins and have their other ends connected individually to said column conductors.

12. An information display tube comprising, in combination,

an envelope having an ionizable gas capable of sustaining cathode glow,

a plurality of tube pins sealed in said envelope and accessible both inside and outside thereof,

a base member of electrically insulating material having mounted thereon a plurality of rows of diodes each having an input electrode and an output electrode,

each row of diodes having a unique physical spacing of its diodes along the row so that when the rows are compared, each has a different spacing of its diodes along the row,

each row of diodes having its input electrodes connected together to a common row conductor,

each row conductor being connected to a tube pin for the application of input signals thereto,

a plurality of output conductors mounted in operative relation with all of said rows of diodes but each electrically connected to a different group of diodes, each diode in a group being in a different one of said rows, and

information presentation means mounted in operative relation with said anode and electrically connected to said output paths for exhibiting cathode glow and providing a visual representation of the input signals applied to said row conductors.

v13. An information presentation device as defined in claim 12, wherein said information presentation elements are arranged in a rectangular matrix array of cathode glow electrodes arranged to glow in various groups representing visible symbol input information when a plurality of column conductors are simultaneously energized as a result of the selected application of voltage to a single one of said row conductors, v

' 14. The'tube defined in claim 12 and including semiconductor switches in circuit between each output conductor and an information presentation element.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,592,683 4/1952 Gray 315169 2,876,385 3/1959 Landrey 315169 2,915,686 12/1959 Schukert 3 l7234 2,953,776 r 9/ 1960 Blutman et a1 340-324 2,962,698 11/1960 Mathamel 340324 3,122,680 2/1964 Benn et al 3l7--l01 3,204,234 8/1965 Nakauchi 340-336 NEIL c. READ, Primary Examiner.

A. J. KASPER, Assistant Examiner. 

7. AN INFORMATION PRESENTATION DEVICE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A BASE MEMBER OF ELECTRICALLY INSULATING MATERIAL HAVING ON A SURFACE THEREOF A PLURALITY OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING PATHS, SAID CONDUCTING PATHS BEING ELECTRICALLY INSULATED FROM ONE ANOTHER, A PLURALITY OF ROWS OF DIODES, EACH ROW HAVING A COMMON CONDUCTOR, THE ROWS BEING ARRAYED ACROSS SAID CONDUCTING PATHS, THE DIODES OF EACH ROW BEING ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO DIFFERENT ONES OF SAID CONDUCTING PATHS, WITH EACH CONDUCTING PATH COMPRISING THE OUTPUT FOR THE DIODES TO WHICH IT IS CONNECTED, SIGNAL INPUT MEANS CONDUCTIVELY CONNECTED TO EACH ROW OF DIODES, THE POSITIONING OF THE DIODES WITH RESPECT TO SAID CONDUCTING PATHS BEING SUCH THAT, WHEN A GROUP OF SIGNALS IS APPLIED BY SAID SIGNAL INPUT MEANS TO SAID ROWS OF DIODES, ONLY ONE CONDUCTING PATH RECEIVES A SIGNAL USEFUL FOR PURPOSES OF INFORMATION PRESENTATION, TRANSISTORS HAVING INPUT AND OUTPUT MEANS, EACH CONDUCTING PATH BEING CONNECTED TO THE INPUT OF AN INDIVIDUAL TRANSISTOR, A PLURALITY OF INFORMATION PRESENTATION MEANS SUPPORTED BY THE BASE MEMBER AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUTS OF SAID TRANSISTORS, AND AN ENVELOPE ENCLOSING SAID BASE MEMBER, SAID ROWS OF DIODES, SAID TRANSISTORS AND SAID INFORMATION PRESENTATION MEANS, SAID ENVELOPE INCLUDING CONDUCTIVE PINS COUPLED TO SAID SIGNAL INPUT MEANS FOR APPLYING INPUT SIGNALS SELECTIVELY TO SAID ROWS OF DIODES TO THEREBY CAUSE A VISIBLE ENERGIZATION OF ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF INFORMATION PRESENTATION MEANS. 